Still looks ugly. Those hideous lights! Damn, I've been forcing myself to like the headlights with no luck at all.

Looks very droopy. Like this:

Yes, it's like a type of sloth thing with snout that grazes on grasses in shallow waters. If such a thing exists. As to another comment about seeing it in the flesh making it more appealing - I don't buy it. It looks worse. Note how many photos of the front will be more in line with the bonnet, raised higher than the grilles and bumper line. Come down low in line with those, and 'snoopy' gives you a lazy nod.

Idk why everybody is complaining. This looks pretty awesome to me. The body roll doesn't even look that bad. I like that the test driver is able to get on the gas pretty early after the apex and the car is going straight on the exits.

Question Scott: is it Confirmed that all M performance models will have hydraulic steering, like the _50d models do? Or is it a case by case basis?

As much as I like BMW I think I have to hand this segment to Benz and their new A-class in terms of exterior and interior design. Much superior. Add to that the AMG version which is in testing now and I might have a new 2nd car.

A marketing professor once said to me: If you have to consider something you like "an acquired taste," that's your brain telling you you don't like it and the hype telling you you are supposed to like it.

It s hard to understand the design of this car only from photos
But with M Pack, staying near it s amazing
Also the back lights of the A Class are looking very bad, its nav screen looks strange and is a FWD car. It can compete with a VW GTI, but not with M135i
This top hatch will not have a real competitor due to the fact that its dynamics is faaaaar better Can t wait for the first comparos

Rephrase this to MOST and I'm happy. Outright generalisations do your argument no good.

Fair to that for sure! My bad.

And I think the other comment about things growing on you vs hype is food for thought too, but I'm not sure it applies to everything...sometimes with cars it takes perspective to appreciate it as a whole...an aesthetic design, an engineering concept, and manufactured reality. My E92 certainly has grown on me as these three elements have come together to create a satisfying DD.

Question Scott: is it Confirmed that all M performance models will have hydraulic steering, like the _50d models do? Or is it a case by case basis?

I'm not Scott but I can tell you that M currently does not feel the EPS is up to par for them- does that mean that full on M cars will remain hydraulic and the M Performance line can differ I am not sure BUT....

they are designing most Performance models to accept xDrive which does not have EPS so I would imagine to save R&D they would develop one rack and that would be the hydraulic one.

In my talks with M engineers, they felt EPS sacrificed too much feel for the "limited efficiency gains" and they dod not approve. They did more with weight savings than the EPS did to save MPG. (for what it is worth).

Bc of the onslaught of spy photography they are testing more and more at night- that is why we never saw the M6 with less camo and that is why the M3 has been off the radar a bit.

If you cruise between München and Ingolstadt at night you will see a variety of undressed testers- I saw the F30 this way almost two months before it launched. Audi also tests at night on this route- sometimes as far as Nürnberg the first time i heard the R8 GT rumble I was drooling... and the ni couldn't keep up. They often stop at rest areas at the wee hours of the morning but otherwise the backroads and A-bahn are where they romp throughout the night.

its because M division diverted all their funding into creating a manual M5 ONLY for the US market, instead of creating a M5 wagon for a world wide market...

Not the case. But I am glad they did, because that's the only way I'll be spec'ing an M5. And since the USA accounts for about 50% of worldwide ///M sales, why not. Think of it as not 1 country, but half of their production.

The E60 wagon never had success, BMW openly admits to it. The RS6 Avant outsold the E60 M5 wagon by a multiple worldwide, and the new generation would not have been any different. BMW learned it's lesson, stick to what you do best and where your comparative advantage is. I am pretty sure by the time all is said and done in the F10 M5's life, the number of manuals sold in the US will be a lot higher than how many M5 wagons BMW would have sold worldwide, so it was prudent business decision on many levels.

Any idea when it will finally break cover mapezzul? It seems strange that they have yet to even give official press info and "internet reveal".

I am also curious to see if they do a 120i and/or 128i or if they just stick with the 116i, 118i, and 125i for the gasoline lineup.

Unofficially this is coming by June. As for other petrol engines- the 116i and the 118i are using the Prince engine from the MINI line- there is a MINI product that is launching soon that will have an up ticked motor and that is to be also be used for the 1 Series (according to sources).

There is also a detuned version of the N20 that can be used. Is BMW feeling out the market right now- Yes. Are there more variants coming- yes, but the 3 door will be more sporty than the 5 door and the future coupe even sportier (I Hope that gives some perspective and answers your question).

Quote:

Originally Posted by ///M1

Not the case. But I am glad they did, because that's the only way I'll be spec'ing an M5. And since the USA accounts for about 50% of worldwide ///M sales, why not. Think of it as not 1 country, but half of their production.

The E60 wagon never had success, BMW openly admits to it. The RS6 Avant outsold the E60 M5 wagon by a multiple worldwide, and the new generation would not have been any different. BMW learned it's lesson, stick to what you do best and where your comparative advantage is. I am pretty sure by the time all is said and done in the F10 M5's life, the number of manuals sold in the US will be a lot higher than how many M5 wagons BMW would have sold worldwide, so it was prudent business decision on many levels.

You are correct with the reason for no F11 M5 BUT- Why do people think (original poster that you replied to) that BMW M devoted resources to the development of the manual over the wagon? The wagon was never even considered first off as the E61 was such a failure.

Then think about the market- think about the engineers that market employees, and think about how suppliers dictate much of the landscape as far as pieces of the overall product. Couldn't it be possible that BMWNA paid for the development of the manual (it will have the exclusive to it) and their engineers in cooperation with M tested and fine tuned it as supplied by a supplier. I am sure most have read Dr. N's comments on the manual vs. DCT and given that opinion why would he divert resources? He wouldn't and M employees now over 450 engineers. they have a lot of development ability and are used as a think tank of sorts.